


Begin Again

by eleasofia



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crying, Haikyuu Week 2016, Hugs, M/M, Making Up, Pre-Relationship, can also be read as platonic!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 00:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6543610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleasofia/pseuds/eleasofia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Wow, you sure look ugly after you cried," Oikawa teased with a shit-eating grin. "Can't argue with that," Kageyama said completely unfazed, "You should probably take look in the mirror though." The least thing he'd expected from Tobio was him to be quick on the comeback in this situation or more precisely, in any situation at all. Also, he was pretty sure that he'd seen a little smirk. Well, it wasn't exactly a smirk, but considering Kageyama's resting bitch face it definitely was something similar to that.</p><p>Or what I really wanted to happen after the Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa match.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Begin Again

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, it's probably obvious but this contains spoilers for the third season in case you haven't read the manga. And besides that, this is actually not that shippy. Their relationship can and should absolutely be read as platonic if you'd like that! In the end, this is just my way of expressing that I really, really wanted them to talk after the game and to make up and become friends or whatever in canon. But yeah, on the other hand I can't hide that I ship it, so if you do too, consider it as romantic and pre-relationship and let your imagination run free. ;)
> 
> Ah and I almost forgot, this was written for the Haikyuu Week 2016 (haikyuuweek2016.tumblr.com) as my entry for day five with the prompt bonds.

"Don't you want to go and congratulate him?" Iwaizumi asked as Oikawa was shoving him around telling him it was time to go home. The match had just ended and his best friend was basically fleeing from the gym.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied casually and a little impatient, "I want to, but I can't."

"Woah, wait, what?!" Iwaizumi said and immediately stopped in his tracks, causing Oikawa to bump into him, "Say that again!"

"I can't, I look like shit _and_ I'm wearing glasses, Iwa-chan, I don't want anybody to see me like this. We have to leave now, come on!" he whined and walked past him. As Iwaizumi neither replied nor followed, he paused again and turned to give him a pleading look. "Iwa-chan, _hurry!_ "

However, before he could move any further he felt a tight grip around his wrist holding him back. "Okay, so this is basically one of the best ideas you've ever had, don't you dare run away now," Iwaizumi said and gave him an intense look before pulling him along in the opposite direction.

Their timing was just right. When they turned the next corner they met with the Karasuno team which was just about to leave the gym too. Oikawa tried to back away when he found himself face to face with Kageyama.

"O-Oikawa-san?" Kageyama stuttered and his eyes widened in surprise.

" _No!_ " he exclaimed but more as a response to Iwaizumi's constant pushing than to Kageyama.

"He has already seen you anyways, now go!" Iwaizumi said irritated and gave his friend a final powerful shove.

Oikawa very ungracefully stumbled a few steps forward and turned his head around to shoot Iwaizumi an angry glance before turning back to his kouhai. He stood there right in front of him, nervously fumbling with his hands and awaiting what was yet to come. The rest of the team was looking at him in expectation too and the tension in the air got almost unbearable. Oikawa took in a deep breath.

"I really hate you, you shitty little brat," he said and took a few quick and long strides towards Kageyama.

The latter flinched as if something bad was coming his way, closing his eyes just in case that after all these years Oikawa's hand would make contact with his face even though Iwaizumi was standing nearby. He immediately tensed when the older boy slung his arms around his torso and pressed him close to his chest.

His eyes flew wide open in surprise when he realised that this was, in fact, a hug. A _real_ hug from a _real_ person. And not only a real person, but the _real_ Oikawa Tooru. It didn't feel real at all though. However, the way Oikawa was holding him was reassuring enough to carefully put his arms around the older boy as well.

"You better win the nationals, too," Oikawa whispered only loud enough for Kageyama to hear.

Suddenly, Oikawa felt the tension disappear from Kageyama's body all at once. The younger boy's head slumped against his shoulder, burying his eyes in the collar of his coat. Oikawa knew that he and his words had a huge effect on Tobio but he had never been aware of the effect that his kouhai had on him. He felt a lump in his throat as if he was about to cry. Something about this whole moment was oddly touching but getting emotional was something he had definitely not planned on.

From the corners of his eyes he saw how Karasuno's third years dragged the rest of Kageyama's teammates away to leave them alone. The fact that the bystanders had realised that _something_ was going on - although Oikawa couldn't exactly say _what_ it was - was actually pretty embarrassing but it was just a distant thought, nothing that would make him move away just now. Feeling Kageyama so close to him was strangely comforting.

He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say or do in case he would congratulate Tobio for a win against Shiratorizawa. Before Iwaizumi had dragged him into this mess it had just been an elusive thought. In the beginning, he hadn't even really been rooting for any of the teams but throughout the game he found himself siding with Karasuno more than he had expected. And the moment they won, he had felt proud.

Actually, somewhere deep down he knew that he'd been in denial. When he'd told Ushiwaka that Tobio and his team were strong, it had already been pretty obvious who he'd wanted to win. However, what had felt like "I want Shiratorizawa to lose" had become "I want Karasuno to win", which actually meant that he wanted Tobio to beat Ushiwaka.

All these years he'd been so afraid of Kageyama surpassing him but in the end, if someone was going to do it, it definitely had to be him. Losing to him and his team had felt terrible, it still did. And yes, he was still jealous because Tobio was blessed with an incredible amount of talent and he wasn't, and newly also because he now had the opportunity to go to the nationals. However, he didn't feel like throwing a tantrum because of it anymore.

It was this very moment that he realised that outside of their rivalry he actually wished Kageyama - unlike Ushiwaka - all the best. Losing to Kageyama and his team was somehow worse than losing to others, but that it was him who had beaten Shiratorizawa kind of made up for that.

And Oikawa was looking forward to the next time they were going to face each other. This wasn't the end and with one loss and one win Kageyama wasn't a better setter or something like that. However, he had to acknowledge that the younger boy had grown, not only physically but as a player and probably as a person as well.

While he was absentmindedly caressing Tobio's back he wondered if he'd always been this fond of his kouhai or if that had really happened just recently. With a sigh he had to admit that it was just that his immaturity and envy had blocked out all the positive thoughts for the past years. Oikawa knew that he had probably made a lot of things harder for him when he could've helped instead. And nevertheless, he had made it this far.

"I'm proud of you," he said unmindfully, the words just slipping past his lips without his permission to.

He knew that he was supposed to put his mind in gear before opening his mouth and yet he had failed. He could've known that it was a bad idea to say things like that if he really wanted to prevent the moment from getting even weirder. Kageyama immediately burst into tears and shivers. Oikawa didn't even want to think about how come those few words could mean so much to someone he had always treated rather badly. He took in a sharp breath and bit his lower lip.

"Don't cry, please," he managed to croak out while he was trying really hard to stay composed.

He was absolutely choked with emotion, barely able to speak and definitely not able to swallow the lump in his throat. The moment Kageyama gripped tightly at the back of his coat and whispered a weak "I'm sorry" he felt unable to hold back anymore. Last night he had cried until had he felt like he wouldn't be able to cry anymore for at least the rest of the year. How wrong he'd been.

He reached for his glasses and the moment he took them off he felt them being taken away from his hand. There was no need to look for him to know that it was Iwaizumi who was still keeping them silent company and watching, maybe supervising from afar.

Slowly Oikawa closed his eyes and rested his head against Kageyama's shoulder, nuzzling his nose into the crook of his neck. The smell of his scent, sweat covered with deodorant, was surprisingly pleasant and as time went by and their hug became tighter and tighter. He cried until he didn't even know what he was crying about anymore - he wasn't actually sure what he had been crying about in the first place. And eventually Tobio stopped crying as well.

After a while he heard Kageyama clear his throat. "Oikawa-san, thank you," he said with his voice as firm as if he hadn't been in tears just a few minutes ago.

"What are you thanking me for? For being an asshole? Well then, you're welcome," he replied sarcastically. His voice still came out a little weak but a lot better than the last time he had tried to speak. The lump in his throat was gone by now at least.

Oikawa felt Kageyama's hands roaming on his back while he was apparently thinking, his fingers leaving behind a slightly tingling but pleasant trace in the places they've touched.

"I don't think I can explain," Kageyama started and although Oikawa couldn't see his face, he knew that his brows were furrowed while he was desperately trying to find the right words to express himself, "But I meant it."

 _'I know, idiot,'_ he thought but kept quiet. In the end, his sarcastic comment had just been a bad attempt at getting rid of the heavy and emotional tension. However, Kageyama was either really oblivious and not getting the hint or didn't want the atmosphere to shift.

Though that couldn't be helped eventually. With lifting his head up Oikawa saw Iwaizumi waiting for him in the background. It reminded him that Kageyama's team was waiting for him too and that they should probably get going. Albeit grudgingly, he tried to push the younger boy away from him but Tobio tensed and didn't let go. They had moved at least a bit and were enough apart to look at each other by now.

"Wow, you sure look ugly after you cried," Oikawa teased with a shit-eating grin.

"Can't argue with that," Kageyama said completely unfazed, "You should probably take look in the mirror though."

The least thing he'd expected from Tobio was him to be quick on the comeback in this situation or more precisely, in any situation at all. Also, he was pretty sure that he'd seen a little smirk. Well, it wasn't exactly a _smirk_ , but considering Kageyama's resting bitch face it definitely was _something similar_ to that.

"Say, since when are you wearing glasses?" the younger boy asked as blunt and straightforward as ever.

"Since always," he replied but when he saw that Kageyama was confused by his rather short answer and not able to figure out the rest on his own, he continued, "I prefer contacts but this morning my eyes were too dry to put them in."

"Oh, I didn't realise," was Tobio's not very smart response and Oikawa genuinely wondered how at times, he could be so quick-witted and the next minute, so absolutely simple-minded. But then again, Kageyama Tobio being weird and at least slightly infuriating was something that was probably never going to change and actually, he didn't even feel like it was something he _wanted_ to change anymore.

"That's why you wear them, Tobio-chan, because people don't see them," he replied condescendingly, causing Kageyama's face to return from marginally delighted back to intense pouting. Although there had always been a good amount of mutual respect between them, this dynamic was another thing he definitely didn't want to alter. There was just something about the teasing he really loved and what he liked even more was the way the younger boy would always react.

"Well, I guess we should go then," he said while taking a step back and finally ending their embrace.

There was no way Kageyama could wear an even more dissatisfied expression as he already was but the additional discontent about letting go was clearly visible in his eyes. Usually Oikawa would've been happy about that simply because it made him feel superior, but this time he didn't.

Something had changed. Right now they definitely were more on an equal footing than they've ever been before and the chances that their relationship was shifting more and more towards eye level were pretty high. And Oikawa felt that maybe there was something good to it.

He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out his mobile. "Type in your number," he said while handing it over to Kageyama, trying to sound as casual about it as possible. He didn't need to turn his head to Iwaizumi to know his friend was silently chuckling and that he was so absolutely going to be teased about this rather uncool move later on.

Tobio's eyes widened in surprise just as they had when Oikawa had stepped in front of him for the first time today. The way he took the phone out of his hand was a bit reluctant but the way he typed in his number was somehow eager.

When Oikawa received his mobile back he saw that the contact name he had prepared for him, had been changed from "Tobio-chan <3" to just "Tobio". A while ago he probably would've changed it back but he refrained from it after thinking about it for a moment. In the end, he knew that this wasn't just an attempt to fight the silly nickname but it was more of a permission to call him by his first name. He could've changed it to "Kageyama" after all.

Privily smiling he put his phone back into his pocket. "I'll see you then," he said and when he met Kageyama's gaze it was full of anticipation. Iwaizumi handed him his glasses back as they moved together towards the exit.

Oikawa couldn't resist to turn around for a last time before leaving although he felt kind of pathetic. But it was absolutely worth it. He realised that this was probably the first time he ever saw Kageyama smile. He wasn't sure if the younger boy had always been rather grumpy and withdrawn but back in middle school he had at least been a little more eager and curious. However, he couldn't remember seeing him smile or even laugh a single time. Sometimes there had been a spark in those big blue eyes, but nothing more than that.

But now, he was standing there, actually _smiling_. He was smiling genuinely - and way to openly and naturally for someone as awkward as Kageyama. It was weird how well this new expression suited him and no matter how much Oikawa loved the teasing and that everlasting frown, he decided that the one thing he liked even better on his kouhai's face was _joy_.


End file.
